“I was the darkest of my siblings,” Grandma said, “he reminded me everyday how he treated me.” Arlene Allen, is my paternal Grandma, the matriarch of the Allen family. But at this moment, she was the child her father hurt. I doubt I showed shock. My jaw didn’t drop. Nor did my eyes bulge. We…
He doesn’t take the time to know you Like the way you dress is a reflection of your mood Draped in gray is a day hearing “I love you” is more than words Like your beauty is more than physical Your vibration is magic To be in sync Is to hear your heart beat as…
What is the American Dream for a black family? For many of us the Obamas’ are our American Dream – a house, marriage, children and a career with a path to retirement. But for most of us getting to that reality is as rare as a black family in the white house. Instead, we face…
“Certificates are the best source of information,” Shirley said as she chopped a green pepper. She is my cousin-in-law. More precisely, she is Errol’s wife, who is my third cousin once removed. The kinship may sound distant but we’re bonded in genealogy. “What could a certificate reveal?” I said. I had been tracing family history…
I was looking for a photo of my Great-grandma – Gracie Johnson. It was a black and white photo that showed her wearing a full-length coat with a matching hat. I wanted a second look to get a glimpse of her life – a black woman born about 1892 in North Carolina, whose marriage in…
We clicked like two fingers used to snap Your personality was a melody that made opposites attract The rhythm of your voice was in tuned with my heart You never spoke to the man But wooed the King in me from the start A small town girl dealing with an inner city brother You respected…
“Your battery is low,” popped up on my laptop’s screen a moment after I discovered the marriage certificate information of my Great-Grandparents – Japheth Trumpet and Irene DePeiza on Ancestry.com. I raced through the living room and kitchen looking for the power cord as I thought this could be the breakthrough I needed. My information…
Somebody, somewhere is saying, “We got a good ass system.” We could change all the laws and still get ‘em We can box ‘em in so many wrongs; right won’t fit ‘em Walk up in the church not even Jesus can save ‘em Discrimination ain’t like our Granddaddies’ days But I swear there’s a sign…
I’ve been curious about my family tree for sometime. I don’t know when it started. It could have been when my aunt Grace told a story about re-connecting with our family in Saint Vincent. Maybe it was the silence that swept my maternal Granddad’s face when I asked him about his father. Maybe it was…
“I’m a mentor,” or “I’m a role model,” were phrases that formed in my head one minute and became an after thought the next. In reality, I’m too busy was my mantra. But let me see something out the box of logic on the news like the four teens who jumped a girl in McDonalds and I’m…
Rashaunjallen 